


Closing Time

by azee



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, SixTONES (Band)
Genre: M/M, just because, send halp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azee/pseuds/azee
Summary: How did it happen, that one day, he woke up and he was alone? When it was just yesterday, he woke up beside the person he planned to spend the rest of his days with?
Relationships: Kyomoto Taiga/Matsumura Hokuto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	Closing Time

**Author's Note:**

> my brain cannot think of a better title, I apologize.

“I need a drink.” Taiga occupied one of the empty seats in the bar counter. 

Today, or rather yesterday was a rough day for him. He had to finish all of his pending reports, did site visits, and went back to the office to work on more reports. His eyes were tired of working, but he forced himself to finish everything. 

He got off work around twelve midnight. He was physically and mentally drained, he walked around aimlessly until he found an open ramen restaurant. 

He was half-hearted eating at the said restaurant but his stomach wanted a fill. All was fine until he got so emotional eating a freakin’ ramen. He freaking cried over a miso ramen, the chef was so concerned. 

He had to apologize for his breakdown and walked out of the restaurant after he calmed down. 

Taiga was not sure where his energy was coming from, but he just found himself in front of Juri’s bar at past four in the morning. 

“Whoa. Are you sure?” Juri was stunned, he even stopped cleaning the bar counter with a piece of rag. “I mean, you don’t even like to drink.” 

Taiga was piqued. He took a deep breath to stop himself from lashing out at the people who loved him.  _ Love. _

“Please, my good friend Juri, give me a drink.” He flashed him a smile. 

Juri rolled his eyes at him. “Please don’t go here when I’m about to close the bar.” But instead, he made him a gin and tonic. 

Taiga got instantly excited as Juri made his drink. “Thank you!”

“You came from work?” Juri asked him, sliding the glass of his ordered drink in front of him. 

He took a look at it before looking up at his friend once again. “Yup!” he answered. “I actually finished a lot of stuff so I can take my vacation in peace.” 

“Don’t overwork yourself, Taiga.” His friend’s face was filled with concern. Juri put a bottle of wine at the bar counter and two wine glasses. Taiga watched as his friend removed his vest and loosen his tie. “You might get the promotion you’ve been eyeing on but you’ll drop dead even before that happens.” 

_ That might be a better option for me. _

Juri went out of the bar counter and sat beside him, pouring a wine for himself. 

“Just this time. I really have to finish all of my reports.” Taiga forced a smile before drinking up the gin and tonic Juri made for him. 

“So how was it?” Juri was amused with his reaction, resting his back against the counter.

“It tasted...weird.” He said. “But good.” He imitated the way Juri was seated. With that, he got a view of almost the entire place. “Congratulations, Juri.”

He saw Juri almost spit the wine he was drinking. “Are you already drunk with one sip?!” 

“What--no!” 

“Then what the hell are you congratulating me for?” 

Taiga clicked his tongue, unable to hide how easily annoyed he can be. “I mean, congratulations for this bar. For being able to maintain this bar.” 

Juri chuckled. “You’re weird, Taiga. Aren’t you tired yet?” 

Taiga drank from his glass once again, getting used to how the drink tasted. “Tired?” he scoffed. “Physically and mentally.” 

“Still not over him?” He heard Juri asked. 

“How?” Taiga was able to ask, despite the impending tears. “How can I get over him? How can I forget him? How can I erase a person from my mind? The person I planned a future with?” 

Juri went silent for a while. Taiga could not blame him, not with a sudden outburst like that. After a few more seconds, he looked beside his friend.

“I’m sorry for the words I said. I’m--I’m just tired.” He sighed. “I think I should head home.”

“Nah.” He heard Juri say. “Stay for a while, we haven’t really talked much lately.” 

Taiga bit his lower lip. “But I might be overly emotional about my breakup that happened over three months ago. You don’t want to hear all of my dramas.” 

Juri messed his hair. “I’m your best friend. Of course, I’ll hear all of your dramas.” 

Taiga stood up from his chair and tackled Juri with a hug. “Don’t make me cry, you stupid!” 

Juri wrapped his arms around him before pushing him back to his chair. “Don’t hug me like that!”

“Oh come on!” Taiga wailed. “I’m your best friend! I’m your most favorite person in this world!” 

Juri scoffed. “But I wasn’t your most favorite person for seven years.” He rolled his eyes at his friend, who just laughed at him. “Come on, let me hear all your dramas.”

He emptied the content of the drink Juri made him before reaching for the bottle of wine. “I cried before coming here. I cried while eating miso ramen. I cried because I remember when I got down, Hokuto went to pick me up from my apartment late at night, and he brought me over to that restaurant to eat” 

“Then why did you still eat at that restaurant? You really do like torturing yourself.” Juri commented. 

Taiga shrugged. “Maybe. It’s just that… I miss him, Juri. I miss him every  _ single _ day.”

“That’s normal. You’ve been together for so long.” 

“I…” Taiga paused for a while, thinking if he really should be saying this, but he continued anyway. “I actually went to his work the other day.” 

“Why?” 

“I wanted to see him. I wanted to--”

“Wanted to see if you can still get him back.” Juri finished his sentence for him. 

Taiga nodded. “I’m so stupid. Your friend is stupid.” 

“Yeah.” Juri agreed. “Especially since you’re the one who ended things, at least initiated to end things between the two of you.” 

Taiga’s tears started streaming down his cheeks. The memory of their break up, inside his apartment still hurt like it happened yesterday. 

“Hey!” With tears blurring his eyes, Taiga managed to look at the door. With only the light up the bar counter illuminating the place, Taiga was finding it hard to see who spoke. Taiga will not be able to recognize the two figures walking up to them if not for the familiar laughter. 

It was their newly-wedded friends, Jesse and Yugo. 

“What the hell, Juri?! Why are you making Taiga cry?” Jesse was scandalized when the two got near them, with Yugo occupying the empty seat beside him. 

“I’m not Hokuto, dimwit.” Juri retorted back

“Isn’t it Taiga who brought this to himself?” Yugo asked, inspecting the glasses on the bar counter. 

Taiga was not able to stop himself from sobbing. 

“Easy, babe.” Jesse kissed the top of Yugo’s head before pulling a seat in front of them. 

“Why are you here, anyway? You’re supposed to be lovey-dovey away from Tokyo.” Taiga said in between sobs. 

“Well,” Yugo took the glass of wine from his hand to drink from it. “We just came back yesterday plus Juri sent us an SOS. Saying you’re being all dramatic inside his bar.” 

Taiga turned his head towards his bartender friend. “You told me it’s okay to be dramatic!” 

“But not without our other friends, of course.” Juri smirked. 

“So, what’s up?” Yugo asked, wiping his left cheeks. “You look miserable.” 

“But I  _ am _ miserable.” Taiga mumbled. 

“Shin texted me the other day that you went to our work, was that true?” Jesse asked. 

Taiga nodded. “H-How was he?”

Taiga saw Jesse throw a look at Yugo. It was a few seconds of silence before Yugo answered on behalf of his husband.

“He was so busy lately, we rarely talk.” Yugo spoke. “Especially now that he was promoted as the head of accounting.” 

He was surprised to know that Hokuto finally got the position he wanted. Taiga was proud and happy for Hokuto.

But he cannot set aside the sadness he felt because he was not beside him when it happened. 

“I’m happy for him.” he managed to say. 

“Don’t be!” Jesse consoled. “The guy’s been working like a machine. He even passed out when he was in Hokkaido last month. Good thing Shin was with him.” 

“W-What?” 

“Babe, go away and face the wall.” Yugo said, clearly annoyed. Jesse has an apologetic smile on his face, clearly full of regret for saying something he’s not supposed to say. With a chuckling Juri, the two of them went behind the bar counter. 

He ignored his two friends and faced Yugo instead. 

“Tell me more?” He pleaded. 

Yugo took a deep breath before answering. “Why? The two of you are not together anymore.” 

Taiga looked away. It was true. He was not able to answer Yugo. 

“Did you know that Hokuto got the offer years ago?” Yugo asked him after a while. “It was handed over to someone until that person quit. When he was offered again, he immediately accepted.” 

“I- I don’t understand…”

“Maybe because, the job will require him to travel a lot.” Yugo said. Taiga looked at his friend. “He did not want to leave you alone for a long time, maybe.”

Hokuto did not mention anything about that promotion.  _ When _ did Hokuto stop telling stuff that big to him over the duration of their relationship? 

But looking back, Taiga thought to himself, he was no good either. 

He got an offer to be a manager two years ago, but the job was abroad. It was actually his dream to live abroad. But Hokuto was the opposite. He knew if he raised the topic, they would fight. 

It was heart-rending for him to let go of a dream. Some part of him thought it was okay, because no matter where, he was going to spend a lifetime with Hokuto anyway. 

_ Lifetime with Hokuto. _ Taiga felt bitter thinking about a lost dream. 

He emptied the wine in his glass and poured his glass full again.

Taiga’s memories came flooding back. What happened to them? They were so in love. They were always there for each other. They work hard to get a comfortable life together. 

Everything was already planned out for them, they even had a place in mind once they reached their retirement age--a beach house, with a front porch with the ocean view. They agreed to pick a property in Hokuto’s hometown as they planned to stay in Tokyo for work. 

Taiga remembered being so excited and heart’s full of joy thinking about a retirement home that he even sketched the house, with the front porch. Hokuto even framed it and it was hanging out in their, or rather, his apartment. 

Taiga looked at his friends from the counterseat. Juri was teaching Jesse to mix drinks, on which the latter was failing miserably. Yugo has his arms snaked around Jesse’ waist, laughing at his husband. 

He felt jealous of the two. Hokuto and he were inseparable before. They were like that once, unable to get their hands off each other. Hokuto loved physical affection, be it kissing or just touching hands. Even if they were both on their laptops working, Hokuto would always cross their legs together.

But how did they end up not sleeping on the same bed? There were days Hokuto would fall asleep on the sofa. There were times a day would end with him not hugging Hokuto, even for a short time. There were days they did not care about each other, and they just did their own things. 

They may have chosen that set up to avoid getting into fights. At some point of their relationship, they always fight over the same issues. About the unwashed dishes Taiga has forgotten to do because he was so tired of work, about Hokuto always avoiding to clean up Anzu’s, their yorkshire terrier’s mess every morning, or about them forgetting to stock up their fridge. 

Some of the things they fought over were the things they enjoyed doing together. 

Since the day both of them decided to end their relationship, Taiga has been asking the same question.  _ How did they end up like that? _

How did it happen, that one day, he woke up and he was alone? When it was just yesterday, he woke up beside the person he planned to spend the rest of his days with?

“I mean, I planned my whole future with him. How do I forget him?” Taiga asked his friends. He was looking at the half-full wine glass on his hand. At this point, Taiga has already lost track of how much wine he already consumed. 

“Everywhere I look, everything reminds me of him. I woke up in the morning, I didn't get to have a morning kiss. I passed by the park, it reminded me of the times we took Anzu for a walk. Door knob! My freaking door knob! It freaking reminds me of him because I broke my door knob and he was the one who fixed that door knob!” Taiga’s voice was hoarse from crying. He felt Yugo rubbing his back, whispering things to make him feel better. 

“I can’t. I may not be able to move on. I will just be stuck here in this dark place. Miserable. While all of you are happy and content.” He snatched the bottle of wine and directly drank from it. 

Juri grabbed the bottle away from him. He wanted to protest but he was too tired. He just let his friends drag him out of Juri’s bar and into his car. They were inside Juri’s car and he did not have any idea where they were going. Rather, he did not care. 

All he could think of was Hokuto. How was he? Why was he not taking care of his body, letting himself pass out? Was he miserable, too? He hoped not. He was hoping that Hokuto was doing good, that he was getting by. Because it will hurt him knowing that Hokuto was emotionally wrecked as well, when he cannot even hug him to make him feel better. 

His friends dropped him off outside his apartment building. Juri was insisting that he walk him up at his unit but he refused. He knew he can still handle himself just fine. 

Walking towards his apartment was a dreadful thing for Taiga for a while now. Because inside, he will be alone. The place did not feel like home anymore. It was just a place where he could feel reality slapping him hard. The reality with no Hokuto. 

With a heavy heart, Taiga punched the code to get inside his place. Once he was inside, he caught the familiar musky scent, he teared up once again. 

After cleaning himself, he walked to his bedroom. He was not really excited to let himself sleep. 

Once inside, he was frozen in place. There was a lump,  _ a huge _ lump under his comforter and he could see that familiar black hair resting on his favorite pillow. 

He did not try to be quiet, he wailed like a little kid when slid underneath his blanket and hugged the person under. 

_ He  _ may be startled at first, waking up to a crying Taiga, but he felt his warm arms around him, pulling him closer. 

_ “I love you."  _

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU. I will never get tired to saying 'thank you' to everyone who reaches this part. <3 
> 
> P.S. I haven’t drank any alcohol in my 25 years of existence, so I apologize for any drinks that don't go along with each other. I really have no idea how stuff works, but Juri as bartender, mixing drinks? Ugh. LOL.


End file.
